Continuing demand for the replacement of the wartime Daimler 'Dingo' scout car caused the British Army
to issue a requirement for a replacement in 1947. A development contract was then issued to Daimler in
October 1948 and they completed the first prototype in 1949 and a single turret less plus two turreted prototypes were delivered to the British Army for trials in June 1950. Shortly after it was named 'Ferret' and allocated the designation FV701. The Ferret remained in almost continuous production until 1971 when the last production order,a quantity of Mark 2/6s for Abu Dhabi, was completed. Ferrets remained in service until the middle 90's and at their Peak the British Army employed 1500 examples in a wide variety of marks for a wide variety of duties including Internal Security, Liaison and Reconnaissance.
Total production amounted to 4,409 vehicles and some even remain in full time service today with Forces around the world. The crew normally consists of two men - driver and commander, though 3 [or even 4] may be carried in the liaison versions fitted with the collapsible seats instead of ammunition panniers. The driver and commander sit in tandem with the driver sat low in the hull in a reasonably comfortable position between the drive shafts for the front wheels, The vehicle's 'ride' on the road is very good but when going cross-country the driver is inclined to forget that he is in a safe, protected, low down position where he can comfortably ride out any of the terrain shocks imparted to the vehicle. The commander, on the other
hand, usually has to hang on for grim death to prevent either physical injury or being propelled from the vehicle, is either exposed to the elements [Mk 1's] or rattles his head round the inside of a turret [Mk 2's] with numerous potentially lethal projections.

This Ferret is Hull No.3 from the first contract of six ordered by the British Army.